Category Archives: Consumer Federation of America

If the “Internal Revenue Service” (IRS) called you up last year demanding payment, well, you weren’t alone.

Fake IRS and other imposter scams topped the list of fastest-growing complaints to state and local consumer protection agencies in 2015, according to an annual survey by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI).

That finding serves as a friendly reminder to hang up if you receive one of these unsolicited phone calls, particularly one that requires you to turn over payment or sensitive personal information, and then call the agency or company to report it. (Remember, too, the IRS does not ask for credit, debit or prepaid card information over the phone.)

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Survey Says …

This annual report is based on survey responses from 33 consumer agencies in 21 states. These agencies were asked about the most common complaints they received in 2015, the fastest-growing complaints, the worst complaints, new kinds of consumer problems, their biggest achievements and challenges, and new laws that are needed to better protect consumers.

Looking at the survey’s findings, it seems there’s no shortage of things for American consumers to complain about, but some gripes, of course, are more common than others. Here are the top complaints of 2015 (defined as those most frequently cited by the agencies as the most common complaints they received last year), per the CFA.

The full report is available on the CFA’s website. It’s worth perusing so you can get an idea about the types of complaints that are piling up, which could help you spot red flags in the future. And, if you think you’ve already fallen victim to fraud and/or your identity was compromised, you can consider a credit freeze, which can prevent new accounts from being opened in your name.